The Victoria International Buskers Festival - welcoming the world to the Inner Harbour!

With its year-round street performers and king's court architecture, Victoria is a perfect place to host an International Buskers Festival - one even grand enough to rival Halifax's famous annual event. For the past 10 days, our fine city has done just that! With 6 stages, over 400 performances, and a colourful array of global entertainers, Victoria welcomed the world to the Inner Harbour.


Local buskers had a special place, too, with locations known as "Busk Stops" strategically placed close to the action, but not so close that the stage acts would cramp their space.

"I loved every minute of it," says local performer Darth Fiddler, who had one of the coolest signs of the bunch.

"Events like this help restore busking to its original place in society - it truly is an ancient, legitimate art form, worthy of celebration and respect."

World-class performers included contortionist Bendy Em from New Zealand, fire-throwing mavericks Flame Oz from UK, and hula hoop champion Becky Hoops from Montreal, to name a few! There was even a trapeze set up on the front lawn of The Empress Hotel for the Aerial Angels from Kalamazoo - it was a surreal sight, to say the least!

There was also an opportunity for audiences to vote for their favourite busker for "The People's Choice Award." The winner? Master Juggler Victor Rubilar! Originally from Argentina and now based in Sweden, Victor gave a fantastic performance, actively engaging the audience and wowing the crowd with his "football juggling" - which has broken a number of Guiness World Records. We caught him when he was just getting revved up - and boy, did he draw a crowd!


The Festival was the brainchild of John Vickers, who was inspired one summer evening 2 years ago as he watched a crowd form around a local performer on Government Street. He thought of the Halifax International Buskers Festival, and wondered why we couldn't have an equally popular one here.

"He's a brilliant man," says Darth Fiddler, "and he's worked very hard to put this on. Being from the Maritimes myself, I had always wanted to go to the Halifax Festival. With the success of this one, though, it looks like I won't have to travel very far after all."

Thanks to John Vickers, the volunteers, and performers who helped make this happen. We're all looking forward to next year!

Darth Fiddler - every day is Halloween in Victoria!

Two years ago, we dedicated a blog post to Darth Fiddler, one of Victoria's most unique street performers whose image had gone viral on the Web. Since then, he has continued to grow in popularity and is now approaching legendary status. This month, his opinion was sought out for an article on Victoria's economy in Focus Magazine, and just last week, The Zone 91.3 FM gave him his own radio show, where he played music from his Darth Fiddler CD and gave a stunning live performance. The Zone's Facebook page filled with cheers and a few brave souls even called in to tell him how much they enjoy him.

Darth Fiddler also has his own Facebook page, with over 3100 "Likes" (and growing!) That's where this image of Victoria's Zombie Walk appeared this week, captured by Victoria photographer James Parrott at Everlasting Memories Victoria.

Zombies attack Darth Fiddler... Darth Fiddler plays on!
Photo Courtesy of James Parrott at Everlasting Memories Victoria

Since Darth Fiddler's presence seems to make Victoria the land of eternal Halloween, we thought it the perfect time to catch up with him for an interview. We find him down at his usual place, on the corner of Wharf and Government, playing for a group of kids in Jedi costumes.

"How did all of this get started, anyway?"

"Well about 8 years ago, I found a floppy old Vader mask at the Salvation Army. I bought it, went busking on the spot, and it was an instant hit. The persona has an attraction for people. I never got that much attention playing as myself."

"What about the rest of the costume?"

"It's evolved over time. I got one of the sturdier masks that came out when Episode III was launched. The cape is from a Dracula costume, the padding from an old football uniform, and many of the other pieces I've sewn together from leather scraps, kind of like Frankenstein's monster."

Photo Courtesy of James Parrott at Everlasting Memories Victoria

"Did you choose the name Darth Fiddler?"

"No, I didn't name myself at all. People started calling me that on the Web, and it just caught on."

At this point, the young Jedis are growing impatient, and the Master must get back to work.

"Did you ever plan on gettting this famous?"

"Absolutely not! I never factored the Internet into it, that so many people would share their videos and stories. I'm astounded, really. It's taken on a life of its own."

For another Halloween blog post on Darth Fiddler, visit Darth Fiddler's Mythic City.

Many thanks to James Parrot for sharing his great photos!

Darth Fiddler - Victoria's Busking Original

Busking, or street performing, has been around for a long, long time. In the Medieval Ages, merchants would often invite entertainers to perform in front of their stores to attract passers-by. It was a symbiotic relationship that bore excellent results for all involved: pedestrians were entertained and spent more money; merchants and performers brought in extra cash.

Throughout recent years, countless North American buskers have become famous after starting their careers on city streets. For example: Pierce Brosnan (fire-eating), Cirque du Soleil (acrobatics), George Burns, Steve Martin, and Robin Williams (comedians), Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, and Loreena McKennitt (musicians) - to name a few!

Downtown Victoria is full of such performers all year round. Musicians, mimes, and magicians add fun and colour to a leisurely afternoon walk. One of these characters is putting Victoria on the map by becoming famous (or infamous), on the Internet: a violinist who dresses up as Darth Vader, dubbed "Darth Fiddler" by his fans.

He can often be found near Victoria's Inner Harbour or on Government Street, or just Google "Darth Fiddler" to find pictures, blog entries, and videos about him. He has recently been featured on CBC Radio, in Victoria's Entertainment and Tourist Magazines, and PEI's Entertainment Magazine, "The Buzz." His image has even shown up on a door at the hip Hotel Max in Seattle, Washington . Guides announce him on tours around Victoria, and he is a common topic of cruise ship visitors when they arrive in town.

If you do happen to find him, be sure to get your photo taken with him and drop him a bill or two. Beneath the dark mask and perpetual histrionics, he's actually a real nice guy.

(For a more recent update on Darth Fiddler, visit our Halloween 2010 post and Darth Fiddler's Mythic City.)